Packing for bottles and similar, substantially cylindrical, containers



June 20, 1961 w. J. A. JEKEL 2,989,175

PACKING FOR BOTTLES AND SIMILAR, SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL, AINERS CONT Filed April 2, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet. 1

INVENTOR j [Mu/44101 (J/Z (J's/ a June 20, 1961 w. J. A. JEKEL 2,989,175

PACKING FOR BOTTLES AND SIMILAR, SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CONTAINERS Filed April 2, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR 2,989,1 75 ND SIMILAR, SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL, CONTAINERS June 20, 1961 J. A. JEKEL PACKING FOR BOT s A Filed April 2, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR United States Patent 2,989,175 PACKING FOR BOTTLES AND SIMILAR, SUBSTAN- TIALLY CYLINDRICAL, CONTAINERS Wilhelmus J. A. Jekel, Gregoriussingel 9, s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands Filed Apr. 2, 1958, SergNo. 725,863 Claims priority, application Netherlands Apr. 6, '1957 3 Claims.- (Cl. 206=-6'5) This invention relates to a packing for bottles and similar, substantially cylindrical, containers and more particularly to a packing of the type comprising a packing box adapted to contain a plurality of bottles or the like positioned at regular intervals parallel to each other, and in which said bottles are held in proper position by centering means.

A main object of the invention is to provide for a simple packing that requires a comparatively small quantity of inexpensive material and can be manufactured at low cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide a practical construction of centering stumps to be used in such packing as well as a simple and solid manner of attaching such centering stumps to a plate.

Still another object of the invention is to provide for centering means of a cheap and solid construction adapted to be used either in connection with a packing case or even apart therefrom.

Moreover the present invention has as an object the provision of a practical method for the manufacture of centering means for the packing of bottles and the like and of packings comprising such centering means.

A still more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved packing of the kind wherein a first set of bottles is positioned in an upright position-at regular intervals from each other, while a second set of bottles is placed between the first mentioned bottles in a reversed position with their shoulders resting on the shoulders of the upright bottles, and to provide a practical method of composing a packet ofbottles packed in such position.

Other objects and featuresvwill be apparent from the accompanying disclosure.

The invention may be fully understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a bottom plate according to the invention, showing bottles placed thereon, in which the centering stumps mounted on the plate between the bottles are'arranged in characteristic manner.

"FIGUREZ is a side view in the direction of the arrows II of FIGURE 1 showing a range of centered bottles.

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 show in plan view the square openings provided in the bottom .plate according to the invention and cut out according to different embodiments.

1 FIGURES 6 and7 show two different blanks for boxshaped centering stumps. FIGURE 8 is a plan-view showing a loose box-shaped centering stump formed from the blank of FIGURE 7.

- FIGURE 9 is a bottom view showing the same boxshaped stump provided in an opening of the bottom plate. FIGURE 10 is a sectional view along the line XX of FIGURE 9, showing the same centering stump.

" FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary perspective drawing showing the bottom plate with a box-shaped centering stump mounted thereon. 7

FIGURE 12 is a (partially schematic) plan view of a cardboard sheet showing the blanks-incised therein for manufacturing two similarv bottom plates according to theinvention provided with centering. stumps.

:11. FIGURE 13is a corresponding plan view of a cardboard sheet with blanks notched therein, which are interarranged in a somewhat different way. k

In FIGURES 1 and 2 twelve (schematically indicated) bottles 1' to 12' inclusive are arranged on a bottom plate 13'. In this case the bottom plate does not form the box bottom itself, but is a loose plate, which may be placed on the bottom surface of a box with corrfiponding dimensions. On the plate 13' twelve box-shaped centering stumps 14' to 25 are mounted. These stumps are arranged in such a manner that they advantageously lie against the bottle bodies with their angular points in order to provide increased resistance to deformation.

It will be noted that the centering stumps are boxshaped hollow members, folded from a cardboard sheet or similar material, which are mounted on the plate 13' with the open end turned downward. A practical attachment of the stumps on the plate may be obtained if they are not secured to an imperforate plate but are pressed with a close fit into square holes which are previously punched out in the bottom plate. Additionally the stumps may be glued in the holes such as, for instance, by a glue connection between the raised side walls of the stumps and the edges of the openings provided in the plate. In order to obtain a larger connecting surface in a preferred embodiment the square holes punched out in the sheet may be circumferentially provided with lips, which in bent position will engage the raised side walls of the stump. Moreover, in employing such lips, the advantage is obtained that they, particularly when they are glued together with the side walls of the stump, substantially stiffen this wall, whereby in using box-shaped members folded from cardboard the cardboard material used for manufacturing these boxes may be lighter, since also with a thin and rather soft cardboard a solid undeformable stump can still be obtained in this way. Moreover, in using lips around the edges of the holes a greater edge strength is obtained.

In this connection it is remarked that after completing the connection between the bottom plate and the stumps the assembly may still further be stiffened, if desired, by submerging it in a hardening solution.

In the FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 several different ways are shown in which the square openings in the bottom plate may be cut out. In the embodiment of the opening according to FIGURE 3 a square opening has been punched out in the bottom plate along the line 28, the corners of the opening having been slightly rounded in order to prevent the cardboard material from tearing at the angular points. In the embodiment according to FIGURE 4 the cardboard sheet is out along the lines 29 and 30, while between the outer ends of these lines folding lines 31 are inscribed according to a square pattern. In this way a square hole may be formed surrounded by four upwardly bent lips 32, which may enclose the side walls of a boxshaped member pressed into the square hole.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 5 a square opening 33 is additionally punched out in the middle, whereby the four lips arranged around the square hole are trapeziumshaped and thus have a somewhat smaller height than the lips 32 of the embodiment of FIGURE 4. This is desirable when the box-shaped centering stump to be arranged to the square hole of the bottom plate has a smaller height than half the diagonal of the hole.

For manufacturing the box-shaped member serving as a centering stump, a blank may be simply cut out or punched out of a cardboard sheet as illustrated in FIG- URE 6. The imperforate upper surface of the box is formed by the surface 35 of this blank, which in form and dimension exactly corresponds with the square hole punched out in the bottom sheet, while the lips 36, 36', etc. are formed into side walls by folding them along the folding lines 37, 37' etc. A box formed in this way may be, for instance, simply pressed from the underside of the bottom sheet into one of the square holes with the surface 35 upwards. When the hole is surrounded by lips, these lips are also pressed upwardly thereby so that they will engage the raised box walls.

In FIGURE 7 the lips 36, 36' etc. are rovided with elongations 38, 38, etc., which after the lips have been bent into raised side walls of the box-shaped member may be bent in opposite direction along the folding lines 39, 39', etc. so that they extend laterally of the box body,

as is shown in FIGURE -8, wherein the box-shaped member formed from a blank according to FIGURE 7 is illustrated in plan view. When a similar box-shaped centering stump is pressed with its surface 35 forwardly directed into a square hole of the bottom sheet, the stump will abut against the edges of the hole with the parts 38, 38', etc., whereby the box-shaped stump is prevented from being totally pushed through the hole. In using a stump with such extending lips, which lie against the underside of the bottom plate 13 around the edges of the square hole, the stump will generally fit so closely to the bottom plate that it becomes superfluous to provide a glue connection between the stump and the plate. If desired, however, the lips 38, 38', etc. may also be glued to the underside of the bottom plate in which case additional lips (32 or 34) provided at the edges of the square opening could be omitted as said lips are not considered to be necessary to strengthen the box walls. As, however, on cutting out the blanks both the material of the lips provided at the edges of the holes and the material of the lips provided at the box-shaped member would be lost as waste material and, therefore, in using the lips no additional material is required in either case, while in either case the folding operations may be equally simple. In practice with a view to the stiffness of both the plate and the stumps an embodiment will be preferred in which both types of lips are used at the same time. Such a boxshaped stump arranged in a hole of the bottom plate is illustrated in bottom view in FIGURE 9 in which the laterally extending lips of the box-shaped stumps are indicated by 38, the raised box walls by 36 and the lips of the bottom plate itself engaging the outer side of these walls by 34. In FIGURE the same stump is shown in sectional View (wherein the same reference numbers are used), whilst in FIGURE 11 part of a bottom plate with a box-shaped stump arranged therein is shown in perspective view. If desired the lips 38 may also be connected to the underside of the plate by gluing under pressure a strip of kraft paper or similar material against the underside of said lips and the underside of the plate.

The bottom plates with the holes which may be provided with lips can be manufactured by a very simple punching operation, whereby quantities in the order of about 16,000 pieces an hour may be cut without any difficulty. The manufacturing of the blanks for the boxshaped stumps also requires only a simple punching operation, while moreover, the folding of the box-shaped members from these blanks, the mounting of these members into the holes of the bottom plate and at the same time also the upwardly folding of the lips provided around the edges of these holes may also be done in one single operation.

A practical method for manufacturing the above bottom plates provided with box-shaped cardboard stumps consists herein, that firstly the square holes, if desired provided with lips, are punched out of the bottom sheet, that in a second cardboard sheet the blanks for the boxshaped stumps are cut out according to a corresponding pattern in which, however, these blanks are not fully separated from the cardboard sheet, that subsequently the notched second cardboard sheet with the centers of the blanks above the centers of the openings punched out in the bottom sheet is positioned into a die with square holes corresponding with the openings provided in the bottom sheet whereafter by means of an upper die with square,

slightly tapering, die cams fitting in said holes the blanks are formed in a single operation into box-shaped members and are pressed in the right form into the holes of the bottom sheet.

If it is desired likewise to interconnect the stumps and the plate in the same operation by gluing it is to be preferred that before the punching operation the lips provided at the edges of the holes of the bottom sheet and/ or the further engaging surfaces between the box-shaped stumps and the edges of the holes of the bottom sheet are provided with a glue layer. This may be done, for instance, in a very simple way by imposing the glue with the aid of a rubber die with an adapted pattern. Then, by the punching operation the stumps and the plate are joined together in a very strong assembly. It is remarked that a very great production rate may be obtained by laying several pairs of sheets side by side in one die. If the box-shaped stumps are formed and tightly pressed into the sheet in the way described above, a method may be-applied consisting herein, that in the punching operation in which the blanks are pressed into the openings of the other cardboard sheet, at the same time the waste material of the sheet, out of which the blanks are punched and remaining between the blanks is glued to the other sheet. This has the advantage that thereby between the stumps the proper centering plate is substantially stiflened. In this respect, cardboard material of a lighter type may be used in applying this method.

In order to prevent loss of material, however, for manufacturing a bottom plate provided with box-shaped stumps according to the arrangement as shown in FIGURE 1, a method is to be preferred, that is characterized in that in the second cardboard sheet twice the number of blanks is notched according to interfitting patterns, after which firstly the first half of the blanks is pressed into the openings of a bottom sheet by means of a die and subsequently the sheet is turned upside down, whereafter the second half of the blanks is correspondingly pressed into a second bottom sheet.

The form and arrangement of the stumps 1n connection with the positioning of the bottles make it possible to provide a single cardboard sheet with a similar double number of blanks. A cardboard sheet provided with these blanks is (partially schematically) shown in FIG- URE 12. In comparing this figure with the illustration on FIGURE 1, it will be clear that in the first punching operation the stumps referred to by a will be formed into box-shaped stumps, while after turning the cardboard sheet upside down in a second die operation the blanks referred to by b will be formed into box-shaped stumps and pressed into the bottom sheet. Thus, in this way according to a very rapid production method two very rigid centering plates provided with solid centering stumps may be manufactured from three sheets of thin cardboard of the same size.

It appears from FIGURE 12, that the illustrated blanks a and b adjoin each other so tightly that they have (at 39 and 40) a common cutting line. Therefore, it will be clear that the punching of two sets of boxshaped stumps from one single sheet may still precisely be done if stumps are manufactured which, as indicated in FIGURE 12 are directed towards each other with their angular points, that is to say stumps which in the ready centering plate have the position shown in FIGURE 1, in which the stumps are positioned with their diagonals parallel to the edges of the bottom plate and where, therefore, they do not support the bottle feet with their rectangular sides, but with their angular points.

The blanks of the cardboard sheet shown in FIGURE 13 are arranged in a slightly difierent way. As in the case of the cardboard sheet of FIGURE 12, here too twice the number of blanks for forming the box-shaped stumps are indicated on a single cardboard sheet according to such a pattern that the blanks almost entirely fit into each then'whereby with a slight loss of material a double set of stumps may be formed from a single sheet.

Here, too, the angular points are principally directed to the bottle bodies whereby, however,.the blanks have slightly been pivoted with regard to the arrangement of FIGURE 12. Moreover, the blanks are here destined to form the box-shaped stumps of FIGURE 6 (instead of FIGURE 7 as is the case with the blanks of FIGURE 12). The relative arrangement of the blanks is chosen in such a way that in a first die'operation the blanks with reference x maybe formed into box-shaped stumps, while in a second die operation the blanks with reference y are formed into box-shaped stumps. In contrast with the cardboard sheet shown in FIGURE 12, in the construction of FIGURE 13 the sheet does not necessarily have to be turned upside down for the second die operation, but may only be pushed up along the distance between two adjacent blanks in a direction that in the drawing is an upward direction. As will be clear from the drawing, the blanks y will thereby come exactly on the same places, where the blanks x were situated in the first operation. As a result of this arrangement of the planos a still higher production rate is possible.

In this respect it is remarked that instead of the cardboard sheets mentioned above, cardboard material in strip form may be used,'whereby the two required cardboard layers, namely one layer for forming the centering sheets and one layer for punching out the stumps, are fed from rolls to the mounting dies. In applying a method, wherein twice the number of stumps is punched out of every part of the second cardboard layer corresponding with a centering plate to be formed, the strip, out of which the stumps are formed, should naturally pass the die twice. If the pattern shown in FIGURE 12 is applied, the strip which may be totally rolled up again after punching out the first series of stumps, must therefore be turned upside down for the second stamping treatment; in applying the pattern according to FIGURE 13 the strip may directly return provided that by means of centering holes or the like the strip is kept in the die again and again in a slightly pushed-up position.

As, in the described method for centering the bottle bodies by square stumps according to the embodiment of FIGURE 11 the forces exerted by the bottle bodies apply at the angular points of the square and totally or substantially coincide with the elongated diagonals (with the stumps formed according to the pattern shown in FIG- URE 13 these forces naturally do not coincide with the diagonals but deviate slightly) and the box-shaped stumps may take up very great forces.

The described bottom plate with centering stumps mounted thereon according to the invention may consist of a separate plate as illustrated in FIGURE 1, which is placed on the proper bottom of the packing box. In employing a foldable packing box in which the bottom or the cover of the box is formed by two closing flaps, the centering means according to the invention may be also mounted on these flaps, if desired. When it is desired to center the bottles, tins or containers provided in the packing box not only at their feet but also at the upper side, two similar centering plates are used, which are placed respectively against the bottom surface and against the cover surface of the packing box or which form the bottom, or the cover of the box, respectively.

Further, it will be desired in some cases that, in order to protect the packed bottles or the like, a separate inner casing is. provided in the packing box.

In applying a loose centering plate such an inner casing may be obtained in a very simple way in that along a number of sides the centering plate itself is provided with elongated strips, which in squarely bent position may serve as an inner casing for the packing box. This has the important advantage that the centering of the bottles along the outer edges of the bottom plate is also obtained 6 by the raised elongated strips. In this case, therefore, the single boxwall is not simply used for this purpose, nor is it necessary to use separate centering stumps along the edges which should encounter practical difliculties in applying the hollow box-shaped stumps as previously described. A similar construction is shown in FIGURE 1, in which at four sides the loose centering plate 13' is provided with elongated strips 41, 41', etc. of similar width, which may be bent along the folding lines 42, 42, etc. and which may thereby form at the same time a centering means as well as a protecting inner casing for the packing box. For making the blanks as illustrated in FIGURE 1 in full lines a punching operation at the corners is required as a matter of fact, whereby at said corners waste pieces are obtained causing loss of material. Such a loss of material may be prevented by a varied embodiment, which is shownin FIGURE 1 in dashed lines. In this embodiment the elongations are formed as right-angled triangles 43, 43, etc., which together form a rectangle ABCD. By this measure the advantage is obtained that the entire centering plate with the four triangular elongations may be formed out of a single cardboard sheet (ABCD) without any loss of material occurring therewith. Here the four triangular members )43, 43, etc.) form together an inner casing which also serves as a centering means, in which, however, as regards the function of an inner casing, the protection against lateral impacts is partially sacrified but in practice an effective protection is still obtained because in this way the middle portions of the side walls of the packing box are provided with a protecting casing, while towards the packing box corners the natural strength of the box wall will still offer a sutficient protection.

Except for centering the bottles and protecting them against lateral impacts the inner casing of the packing box formed as described may also serve for supporting a centering plate provided above this inner casing in the box. When a centering plate according to the invention is not only provided against the bottom surface of the packing box but also against the innerside of the cover the inner casings formed at either of these centering plates may also serve for enclosing an intermediate centering plate. Hereby the described construction is also particularly suitable for the packing of bottles, which are positioned partially upright on the box bottom and partially in reversed position turned upside down with their shoulders on the shoulders of the upright bottles, whereby the shoulders of all of these bottles are embraced by a horizontal coupling plate. In such a bottle packing it is particularly recommended to apply a packing box in which a plate with centering means according to FIGURE 1 is provided against the bottom surface as well as against the cover surface, whereby the squarely bent elongated strips enclose the coupling plate on either side with their outer edges or with their right angle points respectively. Because the coupling plate strengthens the side walls of the packing box against loads exerted thereon, it is not necessary in this packing method to cover the side walls completely by an inner casing. Therefore on applying this kind of packing the application of centering plates with triangular elongations is particularly profitable, when the enclosure of the coupling plate is wanted. In connection with the same circumstance, however, just in this packing method it may also sutfice to use an inner casing with a smaller height. In either case, however, an important saving on the corrugated cardboard otherwise required for an inner case is at any rate obtained by applying the centering plates according to the invention provided with elongations for protecting the bottles from lateral impacts.

Moreover, the application of the inner casing formed by said elongated strips combined with the coupling plate as previously mentioned offers the advantage that in a practical way a packing method may be applied, wherein the bottles to be packed are firstly combined to a parcel outside the box with the aid of both centering plates and the coupling plate, after which this parcel as a whole is placed into the box or the box, in turned upside down position, may be pushed around the parcel. The coherence of the entirety may be still promoted by gluing the raised ends of the centering plates together with the intermediate coupling plate, when the loose bottle parcel-is combined. In or after positioning the bottle parcel into the packing box, it is also possible to connect the raised edges of the centering plate to the side walls of the box by gluing.

Herewith, too, the application of an inner casing formed by triangular pieces of material, has an important advantage. When, namely, a closing device is provided in one of the raised sidewalls of the box casing, the box may be easily pushed over the bottle parcel previously combined or this parcel may be pushed into the box without the corners of the raised edges catching the edges of the opening of the box, as the oblique sides of the raised, rectangular triangles gradually slide along the edges of the box into the same; after filling, the box may be easily and quickly closed.

In applying two similar centering plates provided with elongated strips together with an intermediate coupling plate enclosed between the elongated strips the box may also be omitted entirely. When, namely, a bottle parcel, comprising a number of bottles alternately resting with their shoulders on each other and kept together by two similar centering plates and one intermediate coupling plate, is tied together by straps or similar binding means provided around the bottle parcel, such a solid entirety is already obtained even without any box, that for instance such a form of packing would without any dii'ficulties sufiice for inland transport.

Finally, it'is remarked that the invention is not limited to the embodiments as described, since within the scope of the inventive idea variations are still possible.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus comprising a plurality of containers of predetermined cross-section, a packing box; and a packing device comprising a detachable bottom plate in said box and defining staggered arrays of right quadrilateral openings, hollow box-shaped members having a shape corresponding to that of said openings, said members extending through the openings and being frictionally engaged by said bottom plate, said members having corners aligned and engaging said containers and holding the latter in position, and flaps hingedly connected to said plate and laterally engaging said members.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising flaps on the members engaging said plate in face-to-face relation.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first said flaps are triangular in shape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,003,133 Bowman May 28, 1935 2,042,446 Ferguson May 26, 1936 2,216,339 De Reamer Oct. 1, 1940 2,528,413 Budd Oct. 31, 1950 2,593,092 Bergstein Apr. 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 232,071 -Great Britain Apr. 16, 1925 930,389 France Aug. 4, 1947 

